Strange Meetings
by TFKpuppet
Summary: Halt runs into a girl in the forest on his way to the ranger's gathering. Even though he conceals himself from her, she still sees him.
1. Chapter 1

The girl was staring at him again. Could she really see him? Halt wasn't sure. Her thin green eyes never left him. He had come across her in a meadow picking flowers, strange ones with golden tips. She slowly knelt down and slid a leather bag full of flowers onto her back. Then she simply walked away into the forest. Halt let out a silent sigh of relief. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him. Halt spun and raised his bow only to have it kicked out of his grasp. He reached for his saxe and throwing knife upon hearing the hiss of a blade leaving its scabbard. His attacker quickly disarmed him and pinned him to the ground. Halt looked up to see the girl who had just been in the meadow.

"who are you?" the girl hissed at him angrily.

"King's Ranger, and I might ask you the same question." Halt said. The girl was silent.

"Why are you in my woods?" she demanded. Halt stared dumbfounded.

"would you like to let me up and I'll tell you what you want to know. How does that sound..um..?"

"Anaili." She said reluctantly as she slid off of him and sat against a tree. "And you are?"

"Halt." He said as he stood and dusted himself off and retrieved his weapons.

"why are you in these woods?" the girl asked again.

"I'm only passing through." Halt said.

"hm," she said as she stood. "I'll leave you to that then."

Suddenly halt spun and raised his bow. Anaili appeared next to him and placed a hand on his arm.

"shoot my horse and I'll slit your throat." She said darkly.

"oh, uh sorry. reflex." Halt said apoligeticly. Anaili simply narrowed her eyes and walked away into the shadows with her small horse, strangely it reminded Halt of a ranger horse.


	2. Chapter 2

Halt had reached the gathering ground half an hour after his encounter with the girl and she was still fresh in his mind. She had had bright green eyes, and waist length dark brown hair, that had a golden tint to it in the sun. She had been short and thin and had a pale face. He noted to himself that he hadn't noticed these things about her till after she had left him. Halt sat on a fallen tree once he finished setting up his tent. It was a good thing Will wasn't here yet, Halt needed time to think about what had happened. She had disarmed him so quickly, but how had she done it?

"BOO!" Gilan shouted as he jumped out from behind a tree. Halt didn't even so much as twitch.

"Didn't work Gil, nice try, but you could've been more inventive then boo." Halt said as he stood and stretched. "You can come out too Will. I know you're there."

"Aww how'd you know?" will asked as he appeared behind Halt. "You had such an absent face I was sure we'd surprise you."

"I assumed you were-" Gilan began to say.

"There's a lesson for you Will." Halt said interrupting Gil. "Never assume anything unless you've confirmed it."

"So what were you thinking about?" Gil asked as Will retrieved Blaze and Tug. He tied them next to Abelard and began to unpack his and Gilan's stuff.

"None of your Damn business." Halt said.

"No need to get defensive." Gil said as he began to help Will set up their tents. "I was just curious."

"Well don't be, there's nothing on my mind." Halt said as he stood up and headed into the forest. There was still a little time before the gathering officially started and he wanted to clear his head. That girl had disarmed him in seconds. Him! Thee Halt. It was impossible, yet it had happened. Could she be...no it couldn't be her.

Suddenly Halt felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned startled and standing slightly behind him was the girl he was thinking about.

"Are you sure you're a ranger?" she asked with a twinge of amusement in her dull green eyes. "You seem to be more distracted then others.

"Who are you?" Halt asked.

"Who do you think I am?" She asked, answering his question with a question. "Since you seem to be attempting to think."

"Teleri." Halt answered. Anaili looked slightly surprised.

"I'm taking that as a compliment." She said as she turned away from him and looked up at the sun. "I'm an Eleri."

"Is there a difference?" Halt asked.

"You sound like an apprentice." Anaili laughed. "Teleri are the teachers, Eleri are the students."

"So you're an apprentice." Halt said. "A shadow apprentice."

"Well it's not like Crowley will acknowledge female Rangers, but then shadow rangers are okay." Anaili commented. "We're elite. Then again normal rangers don't think much of us."

Halt watched her as she began to climb a tree.

"What are you-" he began.

"Shh." She cut him off harshly. She offered no explanation and Halt sat on a fallen tree. Minutes passed and she didn't speak, didn't move, and didn't do anything. As the minutes passed Halt almost forgot she was even there. Birds chirped and animal scurried across the ground. Among the leaves on the ground, halt heard a twig snap behind him.

"Hello Crowley." Halt said.

"How do you do that?" The corps leader asked as he sat next to Halt. Halt looked at Crowley and shook his head.

"It's a gift" Halt said.

"Then you know she's up there right?" Crowley asked.

"Yeah." Halt said.

"You can come down Anaili." Crowley called.

"I'm over here." Anaili said from a completely different direction. When Crowly had arrived Anaili had crossed the trees and slid down one to the right of them.

"A gift you said?" Crowley spoke surprised.

"So I said." halt sighed.

"You should be a Teleri by now, if you can pull that trick on us." Crowley said. Anaili smiled and leaned against a tree next to where they sat.

"Too boring, I'd hate to actually have to answer to you." With that she walked off toward the gathering.


End file.
